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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25404823">helping hands</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FromTheCanopyAbove/pseuds/FromTheCanopyAbove'>FromTheCanopyAbove</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Ignis and reader are late 20s, Ignis gets a PA and some damn rest finally, Regis is fine and Noct helps him with royal duties, Self-Insert, canon can suck it I barely remember it I live in everybody lives land</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:09:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,242</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25404823</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FromTheCanopyAbove/pseuds/FromTheCanopyAbove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He was shoved towards the door. Noctis used his full weight to make sure he was out the door before saying, "You're gonna take a nap, I'm going to this meeting, then we're gonna get you a PA."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ignis Scientia/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>helping hands</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This a little ditty called "I finished this game years ago and keep forgetting to catch up on new dlc but I've got self insert brain rot so here's the first fic I've posted since middle school"</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was about the third day he'd slept in his office that Noctis finally put his foot down.</p><p>Noctis had made a very serious effort to come in early (7:30 in the morning, a true labor of love) only to find Ignis already at his desk, coffee in one hand and head in the other.</p><p>"What," he said, blankly, "are you doing here?"</p><p>Ignis rolled his puffy eyes, "I work here, your highness, if you may believe it."</p><p>Noctis huffed, "You don't live here Specs," he took in the rumpled shirt and limp hair, "when was the last time you went home?"</p><p>Ignis shuffled some papers into stacks, put one of those stacks into a folder, and rose from his chair, "Every evening, but I return because I simply have too much to do that cannot leave the citadel. Now, we must debrief before the meeting with the council, please go over these."</p><p>He yanked the folder out of his hands with only a small amount of viciousness. He flipped it open, on top was a helpful bullet list of points and counterpoints and space for notes. Underneath, were sources and expansions on the information. Just how Ignis used to arrange his notes for high school, succinct but informative.</p><p>High school had been simpler though, only a few subjects to study for and plenty of time to get it all done. But now nearing 26, Noctis had taken on much more, and where his responsibilities might've doubled Ignis' must have tripled. Many more meetings, and PR outings, and dignitaries to entertain, and council spats that took up most of his days. And he spent all of that time relying on Ignis' steady guiding presence to determine what was worth his attention.</p><p>He snapped the folder shut, a determined gleam in his eye. Slapping a hand on Ignis' shoulder, he pushed him back to his desk.</p><p>"Cool, thanks, go home Iggy." He threw the coat off the chair and into Ignis' shocked face. "You need some rest and I have everything I need."</p><p>Ignis folded the coat over his arm and sighed, "I appreciate the thought, your highness, but-"</p><p>It was only by virtue of already having his hands the air that he caught the briefcase.</p><p>He fumbled a moment, "Noctis-"</p><p>He was shoved towards the door. Noctis used his full weight to make sure he was out the door before saying, "You're gonna take a nap, I'm going to this meeting, then we're gonna get you a PA."</p><p>---</p><p>Every person hired to work on citadel grounds was heavily vetted, and most all who made it through the process intended to keep the job for as long as possible.</p><p>So there tended to be a great pool of people eager for any position, with plenty of qualifications. But that also meant there were interviews. So many damned interviews.</p><p>He needed someone young enough to keep up with the long hours and constant footwork, someone mature enough to not make a fool in front of royalty. Someone who could be quiet for a while but still provide some intelligent conversation, someone he could trust to pick up the loose ends while he dealt with bigger projects.</p><p>And he was beginning to lose hope that someone like that existed. Of course there were many qualified people, who put themselves forward with their best foot. But they were always a bit off - a middle aged man who couldn't seem to stop reminiscing, a young woman who couldn't stop tapping her foot, a young man who had spent the entire interview scarlet as a baboons ass.</p><p>After several long days and longer nights, Noctis dropped the last resumes on his desk.</p><p>Ignis shuffled through them warily, eyeing the prince, "And who do I have the pleasure of seeing today?"</p><p>"I've started just pulling from departments within the citadel," he tapped the top sheet, "Any one in here can start immediately, if you can find someone you don't hate."</p><p>"I did not hate any of them, your highness," he sighed, "I simply did not find them fitting."</p><p>Noctis huffed, hands on his hips, and stared for a long moment. Ignis waved an impatient hand, and gestured at his carefully, meticulously groomed office. Noctis nodded, understanding, but frustrated. He snatched the folder back, and leafed through it briefly.</p><p>"Here," he slapped a few pages in front of him, "she's been the assistant book keeper for the crownsguard for 3 years now. And doing damned good at it from how things have straightened up over there."</p><p>Ignis skimmed over the resume, a few commendations from supervisors and references from other departments in the citadel, all seeming to point to excellent organizational skills and a kind personality. She had several years of schooling, but no apparent degree, but that was a small matter compared to the experience she had. Nearly ten years bouncing from one area to another, sorting through the muck of bureaucratic process and financial hoops, as an apparent fixer of problems.</p><p>He tipped his head at Noctis, conceding, "All right, I will see about finding time for one more interview."</p><p>---</p><p>At first he speaks with her supervisor, because Y/N is out of the office. When he explains the situation briefly, the supervisor has what could only be called a shit fit. A very polite shit fit, but a fit nonetheless. There are offers of other candidates and attempts at placation and outright saying she was too involved to be let go.</p><p>After some maneuvering he squeezed out a promise of passing on the message. He then spent well over an hour trudging through requests for Noctis's attention. Some diplomats with cross cultural concerns, minor lords and ladies demanding an audience, and an alarming amount of fan mail. How beloved their lazy prince had become never failed to amaze him.</p><p>He snapped a photo of an especially graphic love letter to torment Noctis with later, when his desk phone rang. He flipped over the letter to capture the full experience and answered without much care.</p><p>"Scientia speaking."</p><p>"Ah, good morning, this is Y/N L/N, I'm returning your call from earlier this morning?"</p><p>He set down his mobile and the offending piece of paper to give his full attention.</p><p>"Thank you, did your supervisor brief you on our conversation?"</p><p>He could hear a bemused chuckle and imagined an eye roll accompanied. "I'm afraid not, he was quite insistent that the matter was minor at best, but," she chuckled again, "well, you spoke with him. He has a certain flair that makes a lot of things unbelievable."</p><p>He hummed, "Yes, he was quite certain you wouldn't be interested, but I'd rather speak to you about that."</p><p>"Of course."</p><p>He flipped through some papers and pulled her resume out, "I have an opening here, as a PA, are you interested in switching job positions?"</p><p>Her laugh sounded tinny through the phone, "I suppose that's why Freidrich didn't want me talking to you. I am available most afternoons, is there a time that fits your schedule?"</p><p>"Hm, I believe," he pulled up his calendar and nodded with satisfaction, "I have some time around 2 o'clock this afternoon "</p><p>"That would be perfect, thank you."</p><p>"Of course, I look forward to seeing you."</p><p>---</p><p>A short but loud knock sounded at his door, five minutes before 2 o'clock, a glance at his watch told him. Early, despite the short notice, but not so early as to be an inconvenience. A promising start.</p><p>Opening the door, he was finally able to put a face to the voice he spoke with over the phone. It was only the verified 10 years as a citadel employee that told him her age, because otherwise he would have assumed she was a lost intern.</p><p>Her face was young, and the clothes she wore barely constituted business casual. Slacks and a loose blouse, flats that were scuffed and no ornamentation on her person.</p><p>"Miss L/N, please have a seat." He gestured at the chair across from his desk, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me despite time constraints."</p><p>She smiled, "Of course," she sat, back straight but ankles casually crossed, "Thank you for the opportunity. It seems like you're the one the struggling for time though-" she waved a hand towards the neat piles of paperwork on his desk, "-so I will do my best to make my stay brief."</p><p>He inclined his head a bit in agreement. A tad blunt, but with a polite intent. Workable. "Yes, that is why I have called you here. I am in need of an assistant. The prince has been increasingly busy and as such, so have I. Some things have been," he paused, tapped his chin in thought, "neglected while I am at the prince's side."</p><p>She nodded, and he continued, "There are a great many people who wish to bend the prince's ear, and I am the voice he hears most. What I need is a helping hand in sorting the wheat from the chaf, if you will."</p><p>"A few too many people wanting too much time?"</p><p>"Precisely," he leaned back to gesture at the several filing cabinets to his side, "Although, it would also include come clerical duties as well. In the event that I am not able to keep up with the filing, I would ask that you assist in that as well."</p><p>She smiled, "Of course, that only makes sense."</p><p>He picked up the copy of her resume, "I was looking at your experience here at the citadel, I noticed you've held quite a few positions. From grounds work to book keeping, you seem to have been all over. Why is that?"</p><p>Her calm, professional exterior seemed to crack some, she smiled a bit shyly. "I'm not quite sure honestly, I was first hired as a secretary for the front PR office and have been making the rounds ever since. I would work to the best of my ability and next thing I knew I was being transferred."</p><p>"All of your previous supervisors seem to think you did very well in your job duties. You left quite an impression based on some of these references."</p><p>"Ah, well," she said, flustered, "I just did my job, and helped out where I could."</p><p>"I understand. You've been the assistant book keeper for almost three years now, what have you been doing over there?"</p><p>"Mostly running numbers., I keep track of all expenses derived from training. Be that equipment, or excursions, or medical."</p><p>Keeping track with a fine eye, if Marshal Leonis' lack of complaining was any indication.</p><p>He hummed, "And you've spear headed some projects over there as well?"</p><p>"Ah, yes, some inventory tracking programs," she chuckled, "it makes my job quite a bit easier when things don't disappear."</p><p>He nodded along, "Of course." He set her resume down with some finality. "I would be honored to have your help as well, if you're interested."</p><p>She flushed again, twisted her fingers for just a second, then nodded decisively.</p><p>"Of course. When would I start?"</p><p>---</p><p>Over the course of two weeks training and two weeks playing catch up, Ignis and Y/N were able to achieve something of a rhythm.</p><p>She barely came up to his shoulder, but had somehow managed to cow almost every rude caller and guest. Between her calm and casual approach and unwavering stubbornness, his time spent just sorting through correspondences and arranging meetings was cut immensely.</p><p>He watched as the afternoon light splayed across the room, catching her desk in it's glow. The haloed movement of her hands, precise and graceful, and the way her head tilted this way and that as she thought. Her eyes, a bit pinched from the reflection off her computer, were focused. He smiled as he saw her scrunch up her nose, clearly irritated at something on her screen.</p><p>Strange, to think that her presence felt so essential now. Only a few weeks and he found it to be a true joy to have her invading his once solitary work space.</p><p>Y/N pushed suddenly back from her desk and spun in her seat towards him.</p><p>"I need coffee, I'm going to get coffee, do you want some coffee?"</p><p>He chuckled, there was also the fact that she had relaxed around him significantly.</p><p>She got up, pushed a few keys on her computer, "I need some air, these people make me want to pull my hair out."</p><p>Ignis hummed, "There is a cafe nearby I haven't had the chance to enjoy in a while."</p><p>Y/N nodded and grabbed her coat. "Alright, what would you like?"</p><p>"I could use a walk as well," he stood, "Allow me to join you, I'd like to treat you to lunch while we have the spare time."</p><p>"Oh, um," she flushed, "That's not necessary-"</p><p>He waved her off and opened the office door, "Please, I insist. You have worked very hard and been incredibly helpful, consider it a thank you."</p><p>Y/N smiled, bashful, but definitely pleased. She ducked her head and walked out, not able to argue the point.</p><p>He nearly sighed as he locked up, no matter how open she seemed she was still quite shy about even the slightest praise. It was nearly impossible to congratulate her on anything without her minimizing it or freezing up.</p><p>But as they left the building, the smile never left her face.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please be gentle with me （இ﹏இ`｡)</p><p>All the parts I have written after this continue in 2nd person, reader's perspective so if that's not your jam :/</p><p>Applicable tags to be added as updated</p></blockquote></div></div>
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